SARS-CoV-2-Pandemie und ihre Auswirkungen auf Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgie: „Booster“ für die Telemedizin

With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, interest in telemedical care options has grown. Today’s telemedicine options relate not only to the area of diagnostics, but also to the monitoring of therapy courses and rehabilitation measures. Due to the current resource constraints, many orthopedic surgeons and trauma surgeons have been forced to set up video consultations, although standards for orthopedic video consultations have so far been insufficiently developed. In order to maximize the efficiency of virtual orthopedics, patients should be prepared for the virtual visit (checklist with specific instructions on camera positioning, body positioning, adjustment and clothing, testing of audiovisual skills). Classic diagnostic measures such as anamnesis, inspection and assessment of radiological findings are possible in the video consultation. One major disadvantage is, that there is no possibility for a functional examination (stability of the knee joint, shoulder tests). Although initial controlled scientific studies have shown that telemedical diagnostics are not inferior to conventional diagnostics, there are still no validated examination protocols and methods. Postoperative monitoring of rehabilitation measures can, for example, be made easier by the use of sensors. With modern sensors, inexpensive detection of joint mobility and joint position is now possible and is already used in the area of rehabilitation after reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament. Here too, further research is certainly necessary to validate these methods. We believe that the current pandemic offers opportunities to further expand the possibilities of telemedicine for orthopedics and trauma surgery in order to continue to use it in the future (e.g. in the care of patients from abroad or in sparsely populated areas, care of professional athletes).